Nyctosaurus (meaning "night lizard" or "bat lizard") is a genus of nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the Niobrara Formation of the mid-western United States, which, during the time Nyctosaurus was alive, was covered in an extensive shallow sea. Some remains belonging to a possible Nyctosaurus species called N.lamegoi have been found in Brazil, making Nyctosaurus more diverse. The genus Nyctosaurus has had numerous species referred to it, though how many of these may actually be valid requires further study. At least one species possessed an extraordinarily large antler-like cranial crest.
Nyactosaurus lived along the shores of the Western Interior Seaway 85 million years ago alongside the much larger pterosaurs like Pteranodon and Geosternbergia. It has been suggested that it would have flown similar to modern-day soaring birds such as albatrosses, which consisted of flying very long distances and rarely flapping. The species N. gracilis and N. nanus have previously been considered as species of the closely related Pteranodon, back then known as P. gracilis and P. nanus, due to their similarities.
-Wikipedia
Discovery[]
The first Nyctosaurus fossils were described in 1876 by Othniel Charles Marsh, based on fragmentary material, holotype YPM 1178, from the Smoky Hill River site in Kansas. Marsh referred the specimen to a species of his new genus Pteranodon, as Pteranodon gracilis. Later that year, Marsh reclassified the species in its own genus, which he named Nyctosaurus, meaning "night lizard" or "bat lizard", in reference to the wing structure somewhat paralleling those of bats.
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Physical appearance[]
Possible crests for Nyctosaurus
Like all pterosaurs , Nyctosaurus was covered in pycnofibers (a type of integument that looks like feathers) with a coloration which was probably like seabirds since they filled a similar ecological niche.
It is unknown if Nyctosaurus displayed sexual dimorphism but if it did , females would have had much smaller crests compared to males. There is an ongoing debate about the crests of Nyctosaurus. Some paleontologists say that the crest was connected with an extra soft tissue making it appear like a sail while others say that the crest was like it fossilized.
Nyctosaurus flying by Julio Lacerda
Behavior[]
Nyctosaurus would have behaved like a seabird diving underwater to hunt fish. They probably flew over the Western Interior Seaway in small packs. The life expectancy for Nyctosaurus isn't that long with paleontologists estimating the lifespan of this animal in around 5-10 years.
The unusually large crests probably functioned as display structures to attract the opposite sex and intimidate enemies.
Sources[]
Nyctosaurus size
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyctosaurus#Paleobiology
https://www.pteros.com/pterosaurs/nyctosaurus.html
https://eartharchives.org/articles/nyctosaurus-the-wild-pterosaur-with-an-antler/index.htm
http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/n/nyctosaurus.html
my own knowledge as well